


Adulthood

by elcten881



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Childhood Memories, Do not repost, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Friends to lovers to exes to lovers again, Friendship, Kats Past, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Romance, everyone broken
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:41:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29947392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elcten881/pseuds/elcten881
Summary: Six childhood friends are brought back to their home town for different reasons. But why have they avoided it for so long? Heartbreak, family secrets, career ending injuries and hidden resentments - will everything be brought to light or will they let it all whither in the dark?
Relationships: Anne Boleyn/Catherine of Aragon, Anne of Cleves/Katherine Howard, Catherine Parr/Jane Seymour
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38





	1. Episode 1: How to be an Adult

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve started planning this full story out slowly, but some parts haven’t been figured out. If anyone has any ideas or theories over what’s to come then please feel free to comment them :)
> 
> Also not all chapters will be this long!

** **Episode 1 - How to be and Adult** **

** **

_*FLASHBACK*_

_It’s not uncommon for families with young children to move into a cul-de-sac. Something about dead end roads lined with almost identical houses made new parents feel safer about raising their children there. In the early days, long before the popular use of iPads or video games, it wasn’t uncommon for all the children living on said cul-de-sac to band together and ride their bikes around the street. It was ideal really, kids got time outside in the sun and their parents only had to peek out their windows to check on them. It got rid of their children from morning until the lampposts lit up and it was time to come in for dinner. Summer holidays meant they could stay out later and have water balloon fights in the road. Winter break led to snowmen building and snowball wars._

_It was perfect for any kid._

_On this particular cul-de-sac, there were three homes with children all around the same age. There were the Boleyn-Howard’s with their five children; Mary, George, Jane, Anne and Katherine. Mary and George were quite a bit older at this time and so are not the focus of this piece. No, the main focus of the Boleyn-Howard household are the youngest three. Jane, Anne and Katherine. Jane and Anne were twins, the complete opposite of one another but close all the same. Kat was three years younger, the ‘oops’ baby. The twins were at the centre of the little gang located on Tower Avenue, but they were not the only ones._

_Opposite their house lived the Trastámara family. This included Catalina, who was the same age as Jane and Anne, as well as her younger cousin Cathy. Cathy had been placed into the care of her aunt and uncle when she was really little after her own mother passed away. She and Catalina had been raised to view one another as sisters. Doing practically everything together and quickly making friends with the twins over the road._

_Next door to them were the Von der Mark’s who had four children. The only child from this family that will be focused on is Anna, the second eldest child. Sybille, the eldest, was far too old to be involved in the group and the youngest two Von der Mark’s (Will and Amalia) were only babies at this current moment. Therefore, Anna was the only one at the correct age to bond with the little group that ran riot on the cul-de-sac._

_“ANNE! STOP IT!”_

_Currently they were trying to play Prince and Princesses. Except Anne, who wanted to be the dragon - because even at eight years old she always had to be difficult._

_“What!?” Anne whined, stomping her foot,_

_“You pushed me!” Jane complained, teary eyed,_

_Anne rolled her eyes, “Don’t be a baby.”_

_“I’m not a baby!” Jane sniffled, “Stop being mean…”_

_“Dragons are mean!”_

_“You could be a nice dragon!”_

_“That’s so boring!”_

_“Stop fighting you two.” Anna snapped, swinging around her ‘sword’ (a big stick), “Just let her be the dragon Janey!”_

_When the twins started fighting it always led to them ruining whatever game they were playing. However, despite Anna’s best efforts the duo began bickering and thus the game took a break. Catalina, who always played the Queen because “Princesses are silly, I don’t need a boy to save me!”, groaned from where she had stood with her cousin - protecting her from the Anne!Dragon. Cathy for her part was reading Enid Blyton, more interested in the Famous Five than in the current shenanigans. She would occasionally humour the older girls with a faint “ahh save me” but was otherwise disinterested._

_“Why you two fighting?” A small voice spoke up,_

_Anne groaned and turned to face the five year old that stood a little way away, “Go away, Kitty!”_

_“I wanna play…” Kat whined,_

_“You can’t.” Jane told her, a lot more gently than Anne, “We’re playing big girl games and you’re not a big girl.”_

_“But Cassy gets to play!”_

_“Cathy’s more mature than you.” Catalina jumped to her little cousin’s defence, “You’re too little.”_

_Kat pouted, feeling left out._

_Now, kids can be very cruel. They’re immature and not yet well versed in tact. It is also harder for them to distinguish a joke from bullying. Ergo, the eight year olds (and seven year old if we include Cathy) were known for their very childish inside jokes. One of which was particularly mean to the youngest of the bunch._

_“KITTY HAS COOTIES!” Anna yelled,_

_This code phrase was the start of the game. After any one of them shouted it, they all bolted in different directions away from Kat. The five year old was too little legged and unsteady to keep up, so they never had to run far. They’d just run a little way away and watch as the little girl grew frustrated and cried. Don’t blame them. It derived from a game Mary and George used to play called “Evil Twins!” where they would shout the phrase and leave the twins places. Siblings could be evil at times, it was just the way of the world._

_So off they all ran, laughing and giggling as they left the younger girl behind to shout after them. Anne and Catalina happened to run in the same direction, almost neck and neck. Usually they’d pass Mr Miller’s house and then hide behind his rose bushes. But since they were also very competitive they ended up racing to the lamppost at the end of the street. They weren’t allowed any further than that so when Anne reached the invisible barrier she immediately stopped. When she turned round, she realised Catalina was no longer beside her._

_The other girl had tripped and grazed her knee on the pavement. She was sat cradling her leg, crying softly as a little bit of blood trickled out from the wound. Anne frowned at the sight of her friend crying and padded over to kneel down beside her._

_“Do you want me to get your Mum?” Anne asked, unsure what to do,_

_Catalina shook her head, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, “No.”_

_Anne rocked on her heels a little, “I can carry you…I carry Janey up the stairs sometimes. I’m really strong.”_

_“You can’t lift me.” Catalina challenged through the tears,_

_“Can so!” Anne snapped, “I’m a dragon remember? Dragons are SUPER DUPER strong!”_

_Lina looked up at her, “I thought nice dragon’s were boring?”_

_Anne shrugged, “Only when they’re nice to stupid princesses. I’ll always protect you, Catty!”_

_That one earned a smile._

_*END OF FLASHBACK*_

Catalina Trastámara used to love her job.

She had grown up in a religious household and had always found the Bible and the debates that surrounded it extremely interesting. Whilst she herself chose to believe in the higher power for her own mother’s benefit, the counter arguments usually made for an interesting discussion. This love lead to the obvious choice of studying Religion and Philosophy at university. Eventually she got her qualifications to become a Religious Studies teacher, landing a great position at a private school right away. Her kids were great and she loved when they would ask questions and make their own arguments for or against whichever religion they were looking at. The students adored her too, she was one of the most beloved teachers.

Which is why it became all the more disheartening when she was once again passed over for a chance at job progression. A position opened up for a new Head of Humanities Department, Lina went for it but was passed over in lieu of an external candidate. A man with far less experience than she had. The Headteacher hadn’t hidden the sexism very well. Especially when one of the older maths teachers explained to her that no woman had ever been head of department. That meant that there would be no career progression for her and so Catalina opted to move on. This experience had tainted her view of her job.

And so this would be her last time teaching her sixth form class. These were her favourite students. They chose to take the subject and therefore had a real interest in what was being taught. Obviously, the students were equally gutted that they were losing their favourite teacher. But she made their last lesson fun for them. She got them into two opposing sides and let them debate against one another on different philosophical topics. It was fun and got loud at points, but Lina loved seeing their passion. They had made her a card and it was one of those rare moments in which Catalina let herself tear up. For the longest time her students were all she had, watching them expand their knowledge and grow as people was something she cherished.

So when the bell rang and class was dismissed for the final time, a bittersweet feeling remained. All that was left now was to pack up her desk and make sure to leave her notes and lesson plans for whatever teacher took over. Slowly putting all her things in the cardboard box the office provided, Catalina filled it with her personal items. It was as she did this that her phone began ringing. Unfortunately, she had accidentally dropped it in the box she was packing. Cursing to herself, she began rummaging through the items until she managed to spot the appliance under a book.

“Hello?” Catalina greeted once she could answer,

_“Lina? It’s Cathy!”_

Catalina smiled, she and Cathy hadn’t spoken yet this week. They liked to have a weekly call, just to catch each other up on their lives. Lina had moved quite far from their home town whilst her cousin stayed a little way away from where they grew up. The last time they’d been face to face was Christmas, Catalina’s mother always demanded they spend the holiday together as a family - no exceptions. Even when Lina had been with Arthur, Christmas was always at the Trastámara’s.

“Hey Cathy! How are you?”

_“I actually have some good news - can you talk?”_

“Always!”

Lina always had time for her dear cousin.

_“Well, I wrote this silly romance book and it got picked up…”_

Cathy had always loved writing and had been working on a book ever since graduation. This was obviously a big deal!

“Congratulations!”

_“Uhh…yeah, thanks!”_ Cathy sounded a little unsure but continued before Lina could pick up on it, _“Tía Isabella wants me to hold a little party back home to celebrate the launch.”_

“Mama does like a party.” Lina chuckled,

_“And I don’t…so it would mean a lot if you came too.”_

Catalina smiled fondly, “Of course I’ll be there! I’m so proud of you, Cath.”

_“Thanks, Lina! I miss you.”_

“I missed you too!”

_____

The doors to the court house slammed open.

The flash of cameras and the shouting of paparazzi greeted Anne Boleyn as she walked out. She paid them no mind, just flinging out a random “no comment” through grit teeth every so often. The noise and lights coming from all around her faded into the background as she stormed to her car - furious. Innocent. How on Earth could the jury believe that monster was innocent!? They had an iron clad case, all of the evidence NAILED the guy. How did she still lose? Anne worked for one of the best lawyers in London. She was good at it too. Every case she had been on in the past year ended in a win for their client. It was getting to the point where the name Boleyn would cause other lawyers to hesitate before taking cases.

She was an unstoppable force. Until today. Something she had learned the hard way was that attractive defendants usually walked. It shouldn’t be that way. But it was. The defendant in this case was accused of beating his wife. He was handsome and spent the entire trial flirting with the female jurors. Hell, he tried flirting with Anne until her death glare frightened him off. She was seething that he had just gotten away with everything. Getting in her car, Anne took a second to relax in the silence. Then she let the rage wash over her and slammed her hands over and over onto the steering wheel. Vaguely wishing it was that douchebag’s face.

A tap on the window startled her, but she knew who it was.

Taking a deep breath, Anne rolled down the window and looked out at Maggie. Maggie was basically her immediate boss. She always attended high profile trials just to make sure her subordinates were conducting themselves correctly. The elder woman liked Anne, she was her personal favourite. Her own protégé. But even she knew that the girl had been working non-stop since she got her law licence, it was easy to see that Anne was beginning to burn out. Hence why easy mistakes were overlooked and the case was swung the other way.

“Come to ream me out?” Anne asked,

“No, it was a rough case.” Maggie told her, “Can’t win them all.”

Anne slammed the wheel again, “I can. That’s the fucking problem.”

Maggie studied her a moment, then sighed, “No, Anne you can’t. This overconfidence is why we lost.”

“You’re saying it’s MY fault!?”

“Yes.” The older woman blinked, “You got cocky and made some silly mistakes, like not checking the CCTV or getting a statement from the landlord.”

Anne stared out of her wind-shield in silence.

“This isn’t uncommon.” Maggie continued, “I’ve seen many star-rookies do this. They overwork themselves and burn out, they start making little mistakes.”

“I promised her.” Anne whispered, “I promised I would get her justice.”

Her boss swallowed, she knows how Anne feels - knows it well.

“Listen, why don’t you take some time off?”

That made the younger girl look at her.

“You still have your holiday from last year, take a couple months and get away.” Maggie told her, “Didn’t you say your Mum’s 50th was coming up?”

Anne nodded.

“Then go see her.” Maggie smiled, “Spend some time with your family Anne and just take a breath. Working this much is bad for you.”

“I don’t know…”

Maggie cut her off, voice firm, “Just think about it. Okay?”

“...”

“Boleyn.”

“Okay.” Anne sighed, “I’ll consider it.”

“Good.”

Maggie then said goodbye and walked towards her own car at the opposite end of the lot. Leaving Anne alone to think over the offer. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been home. Nor could she think of the last time she’d talked to anyone from back there that wasn’t her mother. It must have been her father’s funeral, that was probably the last time they were all together. Even Jane, her twin and the person she was closest to in this world, had dropped off the face of the earth after she got married. Obviously, that was a different situation but even though Jane was now back at their Mum’s they had yet to talk. Kat was never close to them so Anne had no clue what her little sister was up to. Occasionally, she would get a Facebook message from Anna and Anne knew that the footballer still talked to most of the old gang regularly.

And Catalina…

Anne hadn’t spoken to her since before graduation. Not properly.

There were a lot of reasons why Anne had never wanted to come home. Things she hadn’t wanted to face. Memories of a person she no longer was. So, rather than dwell on the past and those that lived in that small cul-de-sac, she threw herself into her work. Anne was great at arguing, always had been. So it was no wonder she had found her calling as a lawyer. She was just stubborn enough to nearly always sway the jury to her side. That was before today obviously. Maybe Maggie was right. Maybe Anne was starting to burn out. Not just from work either. Anne had a pretty active sex life, swinging from person to person every night wasn’t good for her mental health. Getting out of the city would probably be a welcomed break.

Headache intensifying, Anne let out a groan.

Slamming her head on the steering wheel and nearly shitting herself when the horn went off.

_Fucking perfect…_

_____

_“YOU’RE SO FUCKING STUPID!”_

Jane snapped awake with a start.

It took her a second to familiarise herself with her surroundings. Taking deeps breaths and reminding herself that she wasn’t in a cold penthouse any more. She was at home, with her mother, in her old bedroom. Warm and safe and far away from him. It was early afternoon, the sun was shining straight through the window and lighting the room with a warm glow. Jane’s hands immediately went to her stomach, making sure that the growing bump there was still safe and secure. Slowly calming down from her nightmare a little smile came to her face as she remembered the little life growing inside her. The only good thing to come out of her marriage.

“Janey? You awake, love?” A voice called up the stairs,

“Yes, Mum!” Jane called back,

She always napped in the afternoons. When she first came home Jane had been in a bad way. With her also being pregnant, her mother had made sure she got plenty of food and rest. It was weird, living at home again. It almost seemed lonely. She was so used to having her siblings and her father around. Mary and Anne would scream at each other after the latter and George pulled a prank on the eldest. Kat would be begging for them to let her join in and they’d say no because she was too little. The whole house would smell like whatever Mum was cooking for dinner, mixed with the cigars Dad would smoke in his office.

Now it was quiet most of the day. It was no wonder her mother had been so eager for her to move back in. Jane thought that if she had been the one left to live alone in this house, she’d lose her mind. Nobody really came to visit either. Mary was married and lived closer to her in-laws, George was in France for work with his own family, Anne was too busy to visit anyone and Kat…well she was still in town but never really came over. Apparently she used to come help Mum with the housework when her arthritis flared up, but since Jane came home she’d only come over once or twice. Usually to bring round shopping when Mum or Jane couldn’t.

As Jane walked down the stairs, her eyes drifted to the family photos lining the walls. From her and her siblings weddings, Anne’s graduation photo from university up to the large centre piece being a giant family portrait painted when Jane and Anne were 16. The latter depicted their father sat in a grand armchair, their mother stood behind with her hand on his shoulder and Jane and her siblings positioned around him. Nobody was smiling in that one, they’d been posing for too long. It kind of fit the vibe their father gave off. He was always a stoic businessman and on the rare occasions he was around he would always rule with an iron fist.

Jane and Anne had always been close to their mother but Kat seemed to be their father’s favourite. She was the only one he would regularly take to his office, even doing work experience there. Jane wondered what her father would think of her leaving Henry. He had liked the boy when they met. They had gotten married right out of high school with her father’s blessing, he would probably be disappointed in her for not sticking it out. That was the way Thomas Boleyn was. Image was worth more than anything else.

Walking into the kitchen, Jane found her mother, Elizabeth, cooking at the stove and went to pour some tea from the pot.

“There you are, love.” Jane’s Mum greeted, “Take a seat, lunch will be ready in a minuet. Did you get some sleep?”

Jane nodded, “A little.”

Her mother noted the coffee, “Don’t you be having too much of that, it’s bad for the baby.”

“I know, it’s my one cup of the day.”

She took a seat at the table and after a moment her mother took a seat opposite.

“I have some news!” Elizabeth said, looking excited,

Jane raised her eyebrows and drank her coffee, noticing that her mother seemed more animated than usual.

“Annie called earlier - she’s coming home for a while to celebrate my 50th!”

Jane blinked, quickly putting down her cup, “That’s great! When is she coming?”

“She arrives next week,” Her mother explained, “It’s a shame Mary and George can’t come, but having my three babies back would be a perfect day.”

That made Jane smile, her mother was the sweetest woman, “Does Kat know yet?”

“I haven’t had a chance to call her.” Elizabeth said, enthusiasm dipping, “Could you give her a ring later?”

“Uhh…of course.” Jane agreed, a little thrown by the tone change,

“Thanks, love.”

Then Elizabeth stood back up to continue preparing the meal, leaving Jane to think a moment. She hadn’t seen Anne since their father’s funeral. The twins had used to be so close, but Henry had ruined that. The idea of seeing her again filled Jane with nerves. What if Anne was mad about her being pulled away? What if it wasn’t the same as before? Growing up it was the two of them against the world. Mary and George were a lot older and didn’t want anything to do with them. Kitty was too young and so the twins didn’t want anything to do with her. That left just them. Anne and Jane. With a sigh, Jane opted to let it go for now and allow the chips to fall where they may.

Later she would text her little sister the news.

Maybe this would help mend that relationship too?

______

96…97…98…99…100!

Anna stood up from the final squat and felt a familiar yet unwelcome pressure in her knee. She pushed the thought aside and turned up the music on her phone, trying to take her mind off the dull ache. This was her favourite time of day, she refused to let some silly injury take this away from her too. Anna was the girls team coach and P.E teacher at Hampton Court Secondary School (or as the kids called it Hampton High). It hadn’t been ideal, coming back to her old school as a teacher. But when her contract with the women’s England football squad was cut short, Anna hadn’t been left with many options. Her whole life had centred around sports, mainly football, everything else had been forced to take a back seat.

Without the grades for university or real world work experience, Anna had nearly no options. Luckily for her, once Mr Cromwell (the headmaster of Hampton High) found out she was back in town he swooped in to offer her a job. Turns out the school team hadn’t won since she graduated. The previous coach was an alcoholic and so Anna used to lead the trainings as team captain anyway. It seemed idea now, only she would be paid for it. The perfect solution to her problem. It got her out of the pitch again, kept food on her table and a roof over her head. But the best part? Free use of the school’s gym equipment after school hours.

That’s where she was now, steadily going through her daily workout to keep in top physical shape. Anna could get through the whole workout now without hurting herself, but still had to be careful. Her physiotherapist taught her which exercises would be good to strengthen her knee. However, she had also warned Anna against pushing herself too far. Many clients caused irreversible damage from overworking their injured areas. The current ache in Anna’s knee should be a tell-tale sign that her workout was done for the day.

But then her eyes landed on the treadmill a little way away.

She approached it, wondering whether or not her leg would hold up if she chose to do a light jog. To be honest, Anna longed for the days before her injury. If using the treadmill for five minutes would help her to build strength in it, then wouldn’t it be worth trying? If it began hurting she could stop. She would stop. Rolling her shoulders, Anna stepped on the machine and turned it on. Starting an extremely slow pace just to get the heart pumping. Eyes stuck to the timer on the display, Anna watched as five minutes ticked by.

It was surprising that her knee felt absolutely fine. It still had that slight ache but it didn’t feel any worse. So Anna thought it’d be safe to go another five, upping the speed as she did so. After another two minutes without any noticeable pain, Anna upped the speed again.

…and again…

…and again…

…until…

Anna didn’t know whether she misstepped or if the pressure finally got to her leg. But all she did know was that she was fine one second and then, on the next step, a sharp pain ran through her knee and it finally gave out. To her luck she was attached to the machine by it’s safety clip, so the second it pulled out the treadmill switched off. Anna hit the bottom and slid off the end, thankfully not hurting herself further. Her knee killed and for a moment Anna had to lay there and let pain throng through her. Gently massaging the area that hurt eventually she managed to soothe it enough to stand, albeit shakily. Frustration replacing the pain as she hobbled out.

As she reached the door, Anna caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

The sight there caused a harsh scoff.

“Look at you.” She whispered, hatefully,

Leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.

_____

“Haha! Two shots, Willy-Boy!”

The man, Will Blount, rolled his eyes and begrudgingly handed the cue ball to a smug looking Katherine Boleyn-Howard. They were stood in the man’s pub, playing pool. Kat had become quite good at the game over the few years she had worked there. ‘The Rose Without Thorns’ was one of many pubs located in town, it usually attracted more of a younger crowd than the others. It was quite the hang out. Live bands every Friday, dance floor set up on Saturdays and relatively cheap prices all week. Will and his sister, Bessie, ran the establishment together and Kat had come to work for them after a nasty fight with her parents led to her leaving home. Bessie and Kat had been friends all through school and now lived together above the pub.

It was mid-afternoon on a weekday, meaning it was pretty much silent. However, this is how the tradition of the week-long pool tournaments began. Basically, the trio played each other once a day and got two points if they won by potting the black, one point if they won because their opponent potted black too early and minus one point if they were the one who potted the black early and lost. They’d do it over the course of the week, highest score by Sunday night won. There was no prize other than their name on a chalkboard above the bar, but they would get gloating rights! Plus what else could they do when it was this quiet?

Kat took her two shots, using one to line up the second and potting her final ball before facing the black.

“No way!” Will whined, “I refuse to lose after leading this whole game.”

“K Howard - the comeback queen!” Bessie called from behind the bar,

Kat grinned as she walked round the table. Ever since she was old enough to realise what a dick her father was, she dropped the ‘Boleyn’ part of her name. Her mother wasn’t much better but Kat could never find it within her to turn away from Elizabeth. Not completely anyway. Elizabeth Boleyn-Howard was the only family member she kept in contact with. Sure, Mary always sent those annoyingly long Christmas cards detailing her perfect life and George occasionally sent postcards from Paris, but Kat never replied to them. She’d never been close to her siblings. What with her being quite a bit younger than them, they tended to leave her out. Not adding on the resentments she still clung to, both fair and unfair.

“Take the shot already!” Will chuckled, “Getting the yips there, Kitty?”

Kat snorted, “Yeah right.”

She leant down and lined up her shot. The black ball was the last one remaining, meaning the first to pot it took the game. Kat couldn’t afford to mess this up, not with her pride on the line! Working out the best angle to shoot from, Kat focused - stretching with the cue across the table.

She took a breath…

Lined up her shot…

Drew it back…

And…

_Bzzzt Bzzzt_

The sudden vibration of her phone in her pocket startled her and caused her aim to shift slightly. The white ball did collide with the black, only not hard enough to knock it into the pocket. Kat let out a loud groan, squatting on the floor - head held within her hands to signify her defeat. Will took on a shit eating grin as he effortlessly sent the final ball into the pocket and cheered in an over dramatic manner. Kat stood again and glared at him playfully, getting her phone out of her trouser pocket to see who DARED mess up her game.

“You got lucky.” She told him,

“Wasn’t luck - it was skill!”

Kat rolled her eyes and unlocked her phone.

**_**From Jane:** _ ** _Hey Kat, Mum wanted me to tell you Anne’s coming home for her 50_ _ th _ _. I’ll message exact dates when she’s booked her trains. Hope you’re well! Love Jane x_

The text earned a snort. Of course her mother told Jane to text Kat rather than call her herself. Jane coming back had been both a blessing and a curse. The youngest always thought Henry was a dick and was glad Jane got shot of him, but it also meant that Kat no longer felt obligated to go to the house any more. Before, her mother was all alone in that big house and Kat felt guilty about her being there by herself. They would never have the stereotypical mother-daughter relationship, but they had been slowly mending some of their issues. Now that Kat was no longer going over, they were back to no contact whether it was intentional or not.

To be honest, the few times Kat had gone to visit after Jane’s return she had felt the same as she had growing up. Kat had always been left out. With Jane now at their mother’s house full time, the duo had inside jokes and conversations about things Kat had no stake in. She was back to being the unwelcome oops baby that her family had always made her feel like. So she stopped going over, not wanting to intrude.

But with Anne coming home now too…well that just reiterated all of the above. Anne and Jane had never made time for Kat before and she doubted she would fit in with them now. Things like ‘Kitty has cooties!’ had lasted well into their late teens, the last game being played at the end of high school party after Anne and Jane had graduated. It used to really hurt her feelings when they did that. So excuse her if Kat didn’t feel like returning to the home in which she felt unwelcome to play happy families with her two bully sisters and their rug sweeping mother.

“Who texted?” Will asked,

Kat looked up, easy smile landing on her face, “No one important.”

He accepted that answer.

“Bessie! Going for a ciggy, then me vs you!” Kat called, “I need a win today so I’m not going easy!”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less!”

Kat grinned, she didn’t need her sisters.

She had her own family right here.

_____

“Look, Lenny - it’s not that I’m not grateful…”

_“Cathy, stop arguing. I know you’re not happy, but at least something of yours is being published. Right?”_

“I suppose,” Cathy sighed, laying back on her sofa with her phone to her ear, “I just wish you’d take a look at that historical fantasy I sent you. It’s so much better than the romantic trash I wrote that you’ve green lit.”

Lenny sighed, _“Sorry kid, but trashy romance sells! Once you have a name for yourself you can start arguing with me about publishing that other…thing. Okay?”_

“Okay…” Cathy frowned, annoyed, “I’ll talk to you later. Bye Lenny.”

Once she hung up, Cathy let out a groan and threw her phone into the armchair. So this was being a writer huh? Baby Cathy would be so excited at the prospect of her own writing being published. Books had been her source of escape and joy for as long as she could remember. In fact there had been no point in her life in which she didn’t have a book on standby for a quiet moment. When she was at school reading became her escape, especially after Lina and the others graduated. Before then Cathy had no need to get to know anyone her own age. She had always hung round with her cousin and their friends from the cul-de-sac.

When they graduated, Cathy found herself alone.

Being naturally awkward, bullies began rearing their ugly heads quickly. It was only when she went to the library and hid herself in the corner could she truly relax. Removed from the punches and the insults. Swept away into a world described only on paper. On the rare occasions she ran out of books to read herself, Cathy began writing her own. A few short stories were published here and there, in magazines or online. But her real pride piece was a historical fantasy novel she had been working on since graduation. Her heart and soul went into this book and she had started sending chapters to various publishers to see if she could get some support.

Nope.

Rejected every time.

One day an old university friend phoned her, having recognised her name from the book. Lenny had told her to write some run of the mill, simple trashy love story. You know, the type of books women in book clubs read to daydream-cheat on their fat husbands with. Having started to lose confidence in her writing, Cathy caved and churned out a generic novel in a few months. Immediately it got the green light. She should be happy, her work was going to be out there for everyone to see. But she wasn’t. Cathy was ashamed of this love story. It wasn’t her style or her preferred genre. It lacked the devotion and care that the original book had.

But the publishers loved it and her family seemed so proud of her, so Cathy went along with everything. Sacrificing her integrity as a writer purely to get something published and make everyone else happy. This new book wasn’t something she was proud of, not like how she was proud of the original. So to justify the book being published at all, she vowed to keep working on the original so that one day she could get it released too. It didn’t make it suck any less though.

She couldn’t think of a better way to describe the situation other than that.

It just sucked.

And now, on top of all of this inner shame, Cathy had to return to her home town. Back to where she was picked on and bullied, to where those same people never escaped. That was the one thing she had going for her. All those who spat on her were stuck in the same little town, whilst Cathy escaped and began seeing more of the world. She went to university to study literature, she had travelled to research for her book, she had settled down somewhere far from anyone she knew to learn independence. Cathy was a strong person, resilient even and she knew this. But despite this, it didn’t make her feel better about her situation.

Still, life went on.

So rather than continue moping, she chose to do the next task on her mental list and went to go pack for home. Her Aunt had demanded she have a launch party and Cathy loved the woman too much to decline despite her hatred of parties. Seeing Lina would be worth it though. Maybe she’d be able to catch up with Anna too - she heard the ex-footballer was now back in town working at the high school. Cathy opted to take it all one thing at a time, focusing on doing what needed to be done rather than fret over what ifs.

Besides, for every downside to going home there was a brightside to be found.

Even if they weren’t always clear, they were there!

…they HAD to be.


	2. Episode 2: Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every chapter will begin with a flashback. Also since this is set in the UK when I say “Graduation” I mean last day of high school. In secondary schools (or at least the one’s I know of) over here they do really do a big walk where people wear the robes and hats. That’s more of a university thing.
> 
> Though I haven’t been in high school for a while so it might be different now idk.

** **Episode 2 - Homecoming** **

** **

_“CONGRATULATIONS!”_

_The group had just come home from their final ‘Goodbye’ assembly at school. All the Year 13s had been required to go back for one last mind-numbing time. They listened to their Head of Year prattle on about their achievements over the last few years and how ‘proud’ he was. Catalina, as head of student council, made a quick speech basically wishing everyone luck and letting everyone know there were going to be goodbye drinks at the local pub. Anne pulled her final prank, releasing three chickens labelled with numbers; 1, 2 and 4. Mr Cromwell looked for a non-existant ‘3’ chicken for a solid week until giving up. Jane and Henry sat at the back and she laughed as he and his friends heckled the head of year and Anna got an honourable mention for qualifying for a top tier football team._

_They had all chosen to forgo going to the pub with everyone else, instead opting to head home and drink in the Boleyn-Howard Treehouse. Only when they walked in they were met with a surprise party. All their parents were there with their siblings, a fifteen year old Kat and seventeen year old Cathy included. Even Thomas Boleyn-Howard was sat in his armchair, swilling his glass of scotch and muttering out a token congratulations. They’d hung up a banner that Kat had spent the morning painting and Cathy had helped her aunt bake a cake for the party. Jane teared up at the effort that had gone into it and Anne laughed at her, ignoring the lump in her throat that EVERYONE heard in her voice._

_“We need a photo!” Mrs Trastámara said, “Everyone by the fire place.”_

_“Cathy, come on!” Lina waved over her cousin, the girl quickly running to join,_

_Anne handed her phone to Kat, “Take a couple, Kitty - we’ll choose the best one.”_

_Kat rolled her eyes and took the phone, stepping back to an appropriate distance for the best lighting. As the girls went to pose Catalina found herself standing next to Anne. Neither girl could make eye contact and they made a point not to touch each other. This time a few days ago they would have been more than happy to sling an arm round one another but now everything felt awkward. Lina felt to guilty to instigate anything and Anne was still a little mad about it all._

_“Can you two stand closer together?”_

_“Fuck off Kitty, just take the picture.” Anne snapped, getting defensive, “Is it too hard for you?”_

_“Anne! Language!” Their father snapped,_

_“Sorry, sir.”_

_They listened for Kat’s countdown and then posed for the picture. She took three before walking over to thrust Anne’s phone back at her. Poking her tongue out at her sister as she did so which Anne returned. Looking at the pictures she couldn’t help but notice how close the others stood compared with the gap between herself and Lina. Sure it wasn’t painfully obvious but to Anne it felt like miles. They’d never had any reason to avoid each other before but thankfully they wouldn’t have to do so for long._

_Soon Lina would be heading for Oxford and Anne would go to whatever uni she got the grades for._

_Their time together left forgotten in their home town._

_Destined to become ancient history._

_____

Anne stepped off the train and looked around at the familiar station.

The last time she had been here was five years ago, stood in silence next to George - dressed all in black. She hadn’t stayed more than an hour after their father’s funeral. He had never been a popular man so it was only their immediate family in attendance. There was no wake or fond memory sharing, just awkward silence as they walked away from the grave to the funeral cars. Jane and Henry were quick to leave, the latter complaining the entire visit that he wanted to go home. Mary was trying to reign in her hell spawn, eager to get them back home so the housekeeper could deal with them. Kat literally went back to school straight after whilst George and Anne went to the train station together so that they could go back to their lives.

Now, Anne felt slightly guilty at leaving their mother alone to grieve but she knew once Kat was back from school she would be able to support their now solo parent. Truth was that being home brought back more memories than Anne really wanted to deal with. Plus, no matter what she thought of Thomas Boleyn-Howard, he was still her father and she was going to grieve his loss. Something that she would prefer to do in private with a bottle of something strong. That was the one thing she inherited from her father, a mutual love of a fine scotch, built from years of her stealing her parents alcohol for parties. She poured one out for the old man and closed the door on that part of her life.

But here she was again, stood on that same platform and walking towards the exit. Following the small trickle of people who were also unlucky enough to be getting off at this stop, Anne dragged her suitcase out to the car park. Eyes roaming the lines of cars, searching for one in particular. Then she spotted it and a small smile came to her face. The old red Fiat 132 that they had spent their final school year driving around in. Stood beside it, leant against the door wearing her sunglasses was the one and only Anna Von der Mark. Her face lit up at when she saw Anne coming, popping her shades up on to her head, immediately pulling her in for a hug.

“Anne!” She greeted, squeezing the life out of her friend, “Long time no see!”

“I know,” Anne laughed, prying herself from the embrace, “I can’t believe this car is still running. Couldn’t you have afforded a Lamborghini from your footballing days?”

“Well I’m sorry it doesn’t live up to the standards!” Anna replied with a smirk, “I’m sure your uber will be a more up to date model.”

She made to get back in said car jokingly but Anne laughed and pulled her back up. Anna and herself had always been best friends. In many ways the lawyer had always admired the footballer. Back in their school days, Anna was the only kid that could be out as a lesbian with no ridicule. Mainly because she was a super popular jock archetype but also the fact she genuinely never cared what anyone else thought about her. She was untouchable. Anne herself never cared much for gossip or the bitching the other girls at Hampton High partook in. But Anna was so unapologetically herself that it made Anne long to reach that same level of don’t-give-a-fuck.

They dumped Anne’s suitcase in the boot and jumped in the car. Anna caught Anne up on some people from school she had seen since moving back to town. Nobody the lawyer really cared about but it made for fun conversation, as well as allowed them to make fun of the girls that once picked on Cathy whose lives had gone to shit. The first year of university Anne had kept in contact with Anna and the footballer had kept her posted on the bullying the youngest of their group had faced. It pissed Anne off to know that Cathy was having a hard time, but she assumed Lina would deal with it. However, she had thought of messaging Kat to get her to adopt the girl into her own little group. Though forcing Cathy to hang out with kids in a younger year group probably wouldn’t help with the teasing.

“So are you excited to see Jane?” Anna asked, eyes on the road,

“I’m not sure…we haven’t really talked since she got married.”

“Do you know why she’s left him?”

Anne nodded, “I don’t know the ins and outs, but Mum said he slapped her when he found out she was pregnant.”

Anna clucked her tongue in annoyance.

“Motherfucker. I saw her once when I was visiting my parents,” Anna told her, “My Dad grew some veg in the garden that he asked me to take over for your Mum.”

“How was she?”

“She seemed quiet,” The German confessed, “Even for Jane.”

Anne frowned, worrying for what awaited her at home.

Now nervous for what state she would find her twin in.

_____

Cathy was sat in a local pub, typing away on her laptop.

It was the closest place to the bus station in which she could sit quietly and work on her historical fantasy novel. Even if nobody wanted to publish it, it was still Cathy’s baby and she wanted to finish it. Hopefully if the trashy romance novel did well she could self publish the book she actually felt proud of. Cut out the middle man and the rejection. She still had half an hour until Catalina’s bus came in so Cathy opted to work on her book while she waited. The pub itself was nice and quiet, the man behind the bar served her a Coke and said she could unplug the table lamp in the booth to charge her laptop. Cathy was never one for loud noise or parties, so usually pubs and clubs were not her forte, but this place was quaint. She could see herself suggesting this place whenever Lina fancied a quiet drink. 

“Can I take the empty glass?” A familiar voice asked,

In the zone, Cathy only looked up for a brief moment to nod before her eyes returned to the screen. She heard a clink as the staff member picked up her glass and put it in the plastic carry case with the other empties. It was this noise that brought Cathy into the real world properly, brain slowly catching up on what had just happened. In surprise she stopped typing and looked up again, realising who had just taken her empty glass from her.

“Kat!?”

Kat studied her a moment, realisation dawning on her face, “Oh shit! Cathy?”

“It’s err…been a while.” Cathy stammered,

“Yeah…”

Cathy cringed on the inside, she was so bad at small talk. Kat and Cathy didn’t really know each other all that well. The writer only knew the other woman as Anne and Jane’s little sister, the one they all picked on because she was an annoying little kid once upon a time. In hindsight, Cathy felt a little bad for leaving her out or at the very least not saying anything when Anne or Jane shut her out. A small part of her at the time liked being the baby of the group, if Kat had joined that title would have been ripped away from her and then what would Cathy’s place have been? What if they pushed her out instead? That was tween Cathy’s logic anyway. But now they were adults and somehow had trapped themselves in the most awkward conversation ever.

Kat looked different to how Cathy had remembered too. While the writer herself had always stuck to her nerd aesthetic, Kat was a far cry from the quiet mousy little girl she once was. She was wearing some band shirt for what looked to be a metal band. Her hair was dyed pink at the tips and Cathy could see a few tattoos. The last time they would have seen each other was probably just before the elder girl left high school, crazy to think how much must have changed for them both since then.

“You look different.” Cathy blurted out,

_What the fuck is wrong with you!?_

Kat raised an eyebrow, “You look…well the same. What’re you doing in town?”

“I got a book published, my Aunt and Uncle want to have a little release party.”

“Congratulations.” Kat said, sincerely, “You always used to read and stuff, it’s cool you’re getting your own thing out.”

Cathy finally smiled, feeling a bit more comfortable, “Yeah, I’m not a big fan of the party idea but it’ll be nice to see Lina and catch up with Anna whilst I’m here.”

“Lina’s coming?”

Cathy nodded.

Kat chuckled, “Wow, so everyone’s going to be home at the same time. Trippy.”

“What do you mean?” The writer was confused,

“Jane moved home a little while ago, she and Henry are over.”

“Wait really?”

“Yup.” Kat nodded, “And Anne comes home today for a while.”

“Huh, I didn’t know. We don’t really keep in contact all that much.” Cathy confessed, “I suppose you’ll be happy to see them again.”

Kat huffed a laugh, “I plan to avoid the awkward family reunion.”

“Why?”

“It’s not like we were all that close.” Kat shrugged,

“Kat - You got those empties I’m doing a wash!” The man behind the bar called,

“Coming!” She turned back to Cathy, “It was nice seeing you. Congrats again on your book.”

“Yeah…thanks…”

Kat then made her way to the back room, leaving Cathy staring at the space she left in thought. This was the first time EVERYONE would be back in town at the same time. Maybe she should invite everyone to her launch party?

It’d be nice for them all to reconnect, but what if too much had changed?

She’d see what Lina thought first.

Lina always knew what to do.

______

Jane was sat nervously on the living room sofa.

Anne’s train got in about twenty minutes ago, provided it arrived on time, meaning she would be home any minute. The blonde tried one last time to call Kat, hoping her little sister would change her mind and come over. Though this was for selfish reasons, truth was that Jane didn’t want to have this meeting alone. Their mother was at work, leaving Jane all by herself in the house to wait for her twin. That was why Anna had been asked to collect the woman from the station. Jane had no car and so couldn’t go herself. The ex-footballer had given up her lunch break to make the trip and was literally only dropping Anne off outside before heading back to the school. At least this provided a similar feel to their childhood; Anne and Jane without parental supervision. With Elizabeth and Thomas Boleyn-Howard always too busy, it was them against the world! Still, Jane couldn’t help but worry that the years apart would have changed things.

She had stress cleaned the house top to bottom, having woken up at 6am to start. This meant there was literally nothing for for her to do except wait. Awkwardly picking at her trousers, listening out for the tell-tale sound of a car turning into the cul-de-sac. She could turn on the television or find something to distract herself but Jane always liked to plan everything. She needed to give herself this time to breathe before a potentially difficult reunion. But eventually she had to face the music and as she heard a car pull up Jane’s gaze drifted out the window. Sure enough, Anna’s old red fiat was parked outside. The sight of the old car brought a smile to her face, they had some great times riding around in that thing. It was a miracle it was still running!

A key slid into the front door, one that probably had just been thrown into a draw up until recently. Jane stood, taking a nice deep breath, as Anne finally opened the door and walked inside. Despite herself, Jane smiled at the sight of her twin and relief filled her as the gesture was returned. Momentarily forgetting their initial nerves, Anne and Jane couldn’t help but grab each other into a tight hug. Well, as tight as Anne dared given her sister’s pregnancy. They may not have been too great at keeping in contact but they still missed one another. It was a culture shock, going through your entire life with someone from the day of your birth and then suddenly not having them any more. But both always knew subconsciously that they could reach out. The duo were connected, always would be.

It was why, even after not seeing each other for years, this hug was so warm and comforting. Almost in a nostalgic way. Anne pulled back first and her eyes immediately went down to the bump.

“Oh my God,” She breathed, “You’re like…pregnant.”

Jane laughed, feeling immediately at ease, “Yep!”

“No like…really pregnant!” Anne looked up at her, “Can I feel?”

“Of course.”

Anne placed two gentle hands on Jane’s stomach, eyes wide in such a comical manner that the blonde couldn’t stop giggling.

“Mum said you were pregnant,” Anne explained, still in awe, “But seeing it…”

“You’re going to be an aunt.”

Anne’s eyes snapped up confidently, “I’ll be their favourite aunt. I’ll take it on all the day trips when you guys come visit me in London.”

Jane smiled at the thought, scolding herself internally for thinking this wouldn’t go well. With Anne and Jane everything was always super natural, like now as they sat in the living room and began to catch up. The conversation flew so effortlessly that it was almost as though they’d never been apart. Of course there were elephants in the room, there always were, but right now they didn’t matter. Those could be dealt with later on. Now it was about Jane and Anne catching each other up on everything they’d missed and reminiscing about the past.

“Remember that time we ditched Kat in the shopping centre?” Anne asked, laughing,

“Oh God,” Jane giggled despite herself, “I felt so bad when she started crying.”

The younger twin huffed, “She was thirteen! Not our fault she was a wuss.”

Jane smiled fondly at the memory and Anne took a sip from the glass of scotch she’d poured herself.

“Do you see much of our darling little sister?”

“Not really,” Jane admitted, “I think me being here has pushed her away a bit - Mum said she used to come over every so often but I’ve only seen her once.”

“We’ll have to track her down.” Anne decided, “Drag her round for dinner or something.”

Jane hummed, “You hear from George recently?”

Anne nodded, “Mary and the kids went to France last month, I have some pictures he sent me. I’ll show you later.”

A silence fell.

Jane knew this atmosphere well. The old superstition that twins had telepathic tendencies was mostly untrue. Emphasis on MOSTLY. With the Boleyn-Howard twins they had always been able to notice when the other’s mood changed. Even if they weren’t in the same room, as long as they were in the vicinity Jane or Anne could easily feel the vibe shift when it came to each other. She knew there was something on Anne’s mind, something she wanted to ask. Given Jane’s circumstances she had an idea of what it was going to be about. Better to get it out in the open now than wait until Anne chose to ask at the worst possible moment unintentionally.

“Just ask me.”

“Huh?” Anne looked like a deer caught in headlights, “How did you know?”

“You might be a big shot lawyer, but I’m still sixteen minutes older and wiser.” The blonde smirked, “Seriously, just ask whatever it is.”

Anne sighed, “You don’t have to answer or anything…but happened with Henry?”

Jane paused a moment.

“You remember what you said when I brought him home to introduce him to Mum and Dad?”

“Not really…I remember telling Kat that if he hurt you she would have to get on all fours behind him and I’d push him over her.”

Jane snorted at the visual, “You turned to me and said ‘Jane he’s an asshole and you could do way better than this poxy ginger fucker’.”

Anne snorted, that definitely sounded like something she’d say.

“And I finally realised you were right.”

Anne hummed, “Y’know I had a big domestic violence case recently.”

She swirled her drink around in the glass, Jane noted how much she resembled their father in that moment. Not that she’d say that out loud.

“I got really passionate about it, especially after Mum called about Henry hitting you.” Anne told her in her usual blunt manner, “I was so angry that I channelled it into the case. If you need anything, legal or otherwise, just ask.”

Jane nodded, a small smile gracing her face.

“I missed you, Annie.”

“I missed you too.”

_____

“Jessie! You’re still hitting the ball off centre - work it out!”

“Yes, Coach!”

Now, Anna loved all her students. From the athletically passionate, to the kids who brought a note to get out of class every week (she made a rule that if they gave her a ridiculously creative excuse she’d let it slide). She always ensured every kid had fun in her lessons whilst knowing she wouldn’t tolerate any bullshit. Within the various sports teams she coached, all were aware that Anna would push them to the breaking point and get results. Miss Von der Mark could be the coolest teacher or the cruellest teacher, it all depended on your attitude. But of all her teams, her girls football squad were her favourite. She knows she shouldn’t have any really, but those girls had a special place in Anna’s heart. She saw herself in them, back when she was a bright eyed teenager about to hit it big time.

Sure, part of her love for them came from reliving her glory days. Living vicariously through her players and profiting from their wins. But it was more than that. Anna loved seeing how happy the girls were after a win, how they rallied around each other after a loss, how they supported each other if one of them got injured. She taught her girls how to be a good team. Taught them the importance of discipline and respect, for everyone and anyone. If one of her girls got caught bullying she cracked down HARD. They were not allowed to be disrespectful. Not to her, not to their other teachers and DEFINITELY not to their fellow students. It always made her heart swell with pride during the actual P.E classes when she caught one of her girls helping one of the less athletic kids do well and cheering them on.

They were good girls really, even if they overstepped the banter with their favourite teacher sometimes.

“Halt!” Anna called, “Stop, stop, stop!”

The girls had been taking penalties to practice their shooting. For some reason today they seemed to struggle with controlling the ball and so Anna stopped them to get to the bottom of it. It was Friday and sometimes, with it being nearly the weekend, the girls got lazy.

“What’s happening?” She asked, “Not one of you has sunk a goal yet.”

“Maybe I’m just that quick, Coach.” Cassidy, the goalkeeper, smirked,

She could be way too cocky and so occasionally had to be brought down a peg or two.

“I doubt that, Cass.” Anna said, serious faced but playful tone, “I think it’s a Friday and my girls are getting LAZY. Three laps round the track - Go!”

A groan echoed from the group.

“Come on Miss!” Summer, midfielder, whined, “Nobody has energy on a Friday!”

“I do.”

“You don’t count!” Amanda, striker, told her, “Didn’t you used to be a pro, miss?”

Anna looked over them sternly, “Yes I did, and you wanna know how you go pro? You put in some goddamn effort. Every day.”

“Do I need to run laps, Coach?” Cassidy asked, cheekily, “Given that I’m the one actually doing my bit.”

There were noises of rebellion from the rest of the team, it was time to do some peg knocking.

“You saved a couple lazy goals and you think you should be exempt from laps?”

“We all know I’ll be following your route, Coach. I’ve got trials coming up.”

“Well at trials they wont be kicking lazy goals, you’ll be up against pros.”

“Pfft, easy!”

Anna took the challenge, taking the ball from Summer and placing it on the line. She nodded for Cass to get into position.

“Let’s make this interesting,” Anna offered, “I score you run laps, if I don’t I’ll do your laps.”

An “ooooh!” went through the group.

Cassidy laughed, confident, “Bring it, old lady!”

“Old lady!?” She’d done it now, “Respektlose kleine Schlampe…Alright if I score you’re getting five laps. For everyone. I miss, no laps for you guys.”

“You’re so on!”

Anna took a breath, then took a couple steps back so she could get an adequate run up. Her leg would be fine for a one off kick. It was silly, getting into such a bet with a cocky teenager but Anna knew what she was doing. This was getting everyone hyped up, interested in the football again and slowly building morale as everyone cheered on Cass. But Anna knew she wouldn’t be doing any running, she couldn’t really run for long anyway any more. The girls didn’t need to know that though.

She rolled her shoulders and planned out her shot, feeling a rush of adrenaline flood through her. This was what she was born to do, Anna was destined to be a pro and she promised to never let her girls forget this fact. Anna was their coach for a reason after all! She shot forward, faster than anyone expected and held back nothing as she smashed her foot into the ball. An almost booming _THWACK_ sound filled the air and Cassidy could barely shift her weight before the ball curved and smashed into the top right corner.

“Woah!”

“Awesome!”

“Wha…how….”

Anna smirked at the dumbfounded look on Cassidy’s face. She felt triumphant for knocking that smug smirk off, but Miss Von der Mark still only wanted the best for her girls so she offered an olive branch.

“If you want,” Anna said, addressing the whole team, “I’ll teach you how to shoot and save shots like that.”

“Really?” Cassidy asked,

Anna nodded, “Of course - I want our team to be the best. So why wouldn’t I teach you?”

“Woo!”

“Yes Miss - we’re gonna kick ass!”

Anna smirked viciously, “I’ll teach you, AFTER your laps.”

The groan of frustration from the girls echoed around the field and Anna laughed as they begrudgingly began running. Cassidy was at the back of the pack but stopped for a moment as she passed her coach.

“Good shot, Miss.”

Anna smiled kindly at her.

“Get running, you.”

_____

“--and then I come back into the classroom and he’s got himself stuck half out the window.”

Cathy laughed at the story, “How!?”

“I think the window closed as he was trying to climb through.” Catalina chuckled, taking a fry from her late and popping it in her mouth, “That’ll teach him for being late to class.”

“I bet it will.”

They were sat at the kitchen table eating the lunch Lina’s mother had made. Catalina had missed Cathy an unholy amount. They had grown up like sisters and so had fostered a strong familial relationship. There were very few people Catalina could willingly take a bullet for and Cathy was top of that list. The duo were so different in a lot of ways. Catalina had always been led by her strong morals, her never wavering sense of right or wrong. While Cathy just floated through life, going with whatever came and powering through. A lot of times in their youth Lina had been Cathy’s voice. Telling her parents that they should eat Cathy’s favourite food or suggest Cathy’s favourite movie to watch because she knew the younger wouldn’t. And if someone picked on the writer? Catalina would become a screaming banshee with a wrath that could rival even Anne’s.

Cathy supposed that was why she enjoyed writing so much. When she lost Lina to university, Cathy lost her voice. Writing was her only way to get her words out, it allowed her time to format the perfect response. If what she put didn’t make sense she could go back and reword it. She used to write letters to her bullies in her final year, not to send but just to get her words out on paper. To vent in the same way Catalina would rant only with less Spanish insults. The easiest analogy about the two cousins was that they were the sun and the moon.

Catalina was bright and shining, always happy to let others benefit from what she produced. Cathy was calm and serene, making sure to control the various waves in her life. And only seen when the sun shone on her.

“So besides getting published, what’s new with you?” Catalina asked,

Cathy shrugged, “Not much besides coming back here. My main focus has been the book.”

“No gossip then?”

“Sorry Catti,” Cathy smiled, then she remembered something, “Oh! I did run into Katherine earlier.”

“Katherine?” Lina cocked her head, “That’s a popular name Cath, narrow it down for me.”

“Kat - Anne and Jane’s little sister.”

“Oh!” Catalina remembered now, “How is she?”

“Different.” Was all Cathy could think of to say, “Did you hear? Anne’s back too!”

Lina dropped the fry she was holding.

“She…She is?”

“That’s what Kat said.” Cathy nodded, not noticing the panic, “Jane moved home recently and Anne’s come to visit.”

Lina swallowed, trying to keep down the memories threatening to surface. Anne Boleyn was someone Catalina desperately tried to avoid thinking about. Her greatest mistake. Ugh, she wanted to curse her luck. Of course Anne would come back the exact same time Lina was visiting. She wasn’t naive. She knew that inevitably, with them all being home again, the old group would get together and she’d be forced to talk to Anne. They’d have to address their past and everything that came with it. Still, on the bright side, Jane was Catalina’s best friend growing up (besides Cathy). After she married Henry the blonde went missing so it would be nice to reconnect with her. Anna too…hell, it’d even be nice to see Kat!

“We should all arrange something while we’re here.” Lina heard herself suggest,

Trying in vain to ignore the pit in her stomach.

Regretting the suggestion as soon as she said it…

Like she was manifesting it into the world.

“Yeah, that would be nice!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT TIME
> 
> “I think he’s quite sweet, when he wants to be.”
> 
> “Catalina! It’s…been a while.”
> 
> “Oi, jackass! Why are you hitting on my girlfriend!?”


	3. Episode 3: Faces From the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW - If you can’t tell, I’ve decided to switch Kat up a little in this fic. Get ready for Soft-Baddass!Katherine

** **Episode 3 - Faces From the Past** **

** **

_Jane sighed, head resting on her hand as she stared at one of the tables at the opposite end of the cafeteria._

_She let out a breathy sigh and Catalina, whom sat opposite her, rolled her eyes at her friend’s ridiculous behaviour. Not even needing to follow her gaze to know Jane had her eyes locked on Henry Tudor, boys tennis team captain. He was one of the most popular boys at their school, even turning Catalina’s own head back in Year 9. However that tryst was short lived when he revealed himself as the petulant toad that he was. Still, that hadn’t stopped Jane swooning over him. The Spaniard recognised the appeal, she herself had fallen for it once. Henry was handsome, red headed with a patchy beard beginning to grow out. He’d put on a little weight since Lina had dated him but he was still attractive._

_However, he was also a bullying douchebag._

_Sadly, that was passed over by Jane who always longed to see the good in everybody. It was something her friends loved about her but at the same time it was also a detriment. There had been a few times growing up in which Lina or Anne had been forced to rescue Jane when her trusting nature was taken advantage of. It was usually nothing too serious, mostly people tricking her into letting them copy her homework or doing all the work on a project. Both her best friend and her twin would willingly crack skulls for the blonde but sometimes the best thing was to let her keep her delusions. As long as Jane looked from afar, Henry wasn’t a threat._

_“Sup nerds!” The booming voice of Anne Boleyn-Howard came to the rescue,_

_She slid onto the bench beside Lina, nudging her playfully. Fighting the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks at the contact, the Spanish girl glared at the sudden jostling. She refused to give Anne the satisfaction of seeing her flustered, there would be vengeance when they went back to her house later. The troublemaker always pushed the boundaries around their little group, amused by both Lina’s reaction and how oblivious their friends were. Said friends also joined them at the table, Anna and Cathy debating something Lina didn’t quite understand. Accepting she wasn’t going to get any further reaction, Anne looked to the table - noting her twin’s gaze was elsewhere. Following it, she groaned in disgust._

_“Seriously, Janey?” Anne snapped in disbelief, “Henry Tudor?”_

_Jane tore her eyes away from her crush to meet her sibling’s eyes, “What?”_

_“You can do so much better.” Anne told her, shovelling some peas off her tray and into her mouth, “He’sh an arsh-hole.”_

_“Swallow, before you choke.” Lina chided,_

_Anne rolled her eyes but did as asked._

_“She has a point though, Jane.” Anna observed, “He doesn’t seem like your type.”_

_“In what way?”_

_“Well you’re….” Anna began, trying to find the words in English,_

_“Pretty.” Cathy said, a little to quickly though no one notice,_

_“Funny…sometimes.” Anne added, mouth now empty,_

_“A genuinely good person.” Catalina threw her two cents in,_

_“And he’s…” Anna began once again,_

_“A dick.” Anne completed,_

_Jane smiled, the kind of smile your mother gives you when you say something so silly it’s amusing, “He’s in my English class. I think he’s quite sweet, when he wants to be.”_

_“He is to you.” Anne told her,_

_“I’m sure it’s not just to me.” Jane went a little pink, as if weirdly flattered by Anne’s statement,_

_“Nah, he’s a dick to anyone else.” Anna shrugged, “He’s only nice to girls when…err…”_

_She trailed off, not wanting to sound harsh to their shy, kind friend._

_Anne had no such reservation._

_“When he wants to get under their skirts.”_

_A groan echoed round the table at her lack of tact._

_Jane’s eyes hardened a little, getting defensive, “I very much doubt it, I mean - we barely talk!”_

_“You’re not exactly subtle with your staring.” Anne smirked,_

_“I…you…oh, be quiet Anne!”_

_Catalina held up a hand, calling for peace, “We only say this out of love. Just be careful.”_

_“I will,” Jane rolled her eyes, “I think I can tell whether or not someone’s good for me.”_

_The group exchanged a look but let the topic drop, sensing that if they said anything else it would lead to a fight. They’d take her word for it._

_I mean she said it with so much conviction…_

_..why shouldn’t they believe it?_

_______

_“DUMB BITCH! HOW HARD IS IT TO GET DINNER ON THE TABLE BEFORE I GET HOME!?”_

_“I’m sorry! I’ll start it now, Henry I promise--”_

“Jane?”

_“TOO LATE!”_

_*SLAP*_

“Janey!?”

Jane’s eyes snapped open, hand flying to her face. As she adjusted to the light, the blonde noted she couldn’t feel any pain in her cheek. She was laying on the sofa in the family living room, her twin sister stood worriedly next to her. Realising that she was safe and far away from the monster in her nightmares, Jane’s placed her gentle hand on her baby bump. It had become somewhat of a nervous habit. Anne was stood next to her, eyes looking down in concern. It made Jane feel somewhat guilty, this wouldn’t be the first time her dreams had been so bad she had cried out in her sleep. Her first time napping back home had coincided with Kat’s last visit. That time the youngest hadn’t woken her, instead she had waited for Jane to awaken naturally and stumble into the kitchen where she slid over a cup of tea.

Her silent act of kindness was vastly different from the borderline panic written across Anne’s face. Jane had always been very vague about what had happened in her relationship with Henry. Of course, when she turned up on her mother’s doorstep with a black eye it was easy to put two and two together but the little details had been kept quiet. The Boleyn-Howard family motto was something close to ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’. They never talked about their feelings. Thomas Howard had always been a cold, calculated man and so emotion had no place in the house. Since his passing their mother had begun to get warmer with them, but there was still this disconnect when discussing personal things.

“Janey? You alright?” Anne asked,

Jane nodded, taking a breath and sitting up, “Sorry, I have the odd nightmare now and then. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Now, Anne could have probed further. Part of Jane actually wished she would, just push the smallest bit so that they could open that conversation. However, Anne was more like their father than she cared to admit. Despite how inseparable Anne and Jane had been growing up, that disconnect was still very much present. So instead of prying and voicing her concern, Anne opted to find a distraction for them both. Push the problem away.

“Why don’t we go out somewhere?”

Happy to go ANYWHERE other than the house, Jane eagerly agreed.

“Anna invited me out somewhere earlier, I’ll give her a call and see if she still wants to meet.” Anne told her, “What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me, it’d be nice to see her.”

Anne smiled and got out her phone, walking out into the hallway to make the call as she always felt it rude to phone someone in the presence of someone else. Twin or not. She clicked the contact and brought the phone up to her ear. After a moment the call connected and Anna’s voice came through over the top of some background noise. She sounded like she was somewhere busy.

_“Anne!”_

“Hey Anna,” Anne smiled, “Me and Jane are kind of bored at the house, the offer still open to hang out?”

_“Yes, by all means! It’ll be a little reunion.”_

Anne blinked, “Between the three of us?”

_“No…didn’t Lina call you? She and Cathy are here. We’re at this little pub by the bus station - you two should come!”_

“L-Lina’s there?”

She cursed the nerves in her voice. Don’t blame her, she was taken off guard - the last time she had properly talked to Catalina was when…

No. That didn’t matter.

_“Is that a problem? Has something happened to you guys?”_

Anne cleared her throat quickly, “No, no! It’s cool. Text me the name of the bar, we’ll head over.”

_“Okay…cool!”_

Anna didn’t sound convinced but thankfully let it slide.

“We’ll see you in a bit.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Anne tried to catch her breath a moment, mentally preparing to be in a room once again with Catalina Trastámara. It was fine, it’d be fine. Anne had faced down many a demon in the court room, she would not waver in front of _her._ It wouldn’t have been wrong to say Anne still held deep resentments towards the Spaniard. The reasons for which she had left behind when she ditched this stupid town. They would not need to be revisited. EVER. So Anne took a breath, schooled her expression and walked back into the living room.

“Fancy a coke at the pub with the others?”

Jane looked surprised, “Others?”

Anne faked a grin, praying that Jane could no longer see through it.

“The bitches are back together!”

_____

Anna hung up the call and went back over to the booth where Catalina and Cathy were sat. She had moved closer to the door so that she could hear better over the noise.

The pub had been Cathy’s choice, she had apparently waited here for Lina’s bus to come in and said the atmosphere was nice. Anna couldn’t help but agree, it was a little busy with it being a Saturday but still had a homely feel. A guy from behind the bar was setting up a dance floor in the middle of the room, meaning it probably would get more of a club vibe later in the evening. That didn’t matter to Anna, who was more than happy to get down, but she knew Cathy and Lina may not be up for it. Plus if Jane was pregnant it probably wasn’t her scene either. Still, ultimately it was a nice choice of venue. Anna hadn’t been here before so it was a welcome change from her usual sports bar.

“Who was that?” Cathy asked, as Anna swung herself back into the booth,

“Anne and Jane, they’re going to join us.”

“Oh!” Something about Lina’s voice sounded off to Anna, “Well it’ll be nice to see them.”

She sounded just as nervous as Anne had. Did something happen between the two of them? Did they get into a fight after everyone left town? She said nothing and just took a sip of beer. To be honest she could probably ask but neither Anne nor Lina were the type to have big emotional talks. Catalina hid behind glares and intense maturity whilst Anne made a joke out of everything. Growing up with them both constantly at each others throats was interesting. They brought out weird sides of one another, it was rare these events happened but they had. Anne would take something Catalina said way too seriously and go all hurt and quiet until the slightly older girl apologised for taking things to far. Whilst Lina’s rare immature/childish side came out around the younger Boleyn-Howard twin. They complimented each other nicely.

“Especially Jane,” Cathy sighed, “Tía Isabella was telling me about it all.”

“We told her Henry was a douche.”

“Now, now,” Lina intervened, “I told you so isn’t what she needs to hear. She needs support.”

“You’re right.” Anna sighed with a fond smile, “As always.”

“Some things never change.” Cathy smirked,

It took about ten minutes from Anna texting the address to Anne for the infamous twins to enter the pub. Neither recognised this place meaning it must be relatively new. The clientele were all around their age and Anne quickly scoped out one or two attractive targets she could aim for if they stayed long enough to see the dance floor put to use. Anna spotted them first and waved them over, getting out of the booth to greet them. Cathy followed happily going to hug Jane and look at the small bump on her stomach. Lina remained in her seat, a flash of anxiety keeping her rooted to the spot.

“Cathy Parr!” Anne greeted, pulling the short girl in for a hug,

“Anne, it’s nice to see you!”

Pulling away with a smile, Anne’s eyes caught Lina’s. She faltered for a moment before getting a hold of herself. She could do this.

“Catalina!” She said, faux happiness radiating from her, “It’s…been a while.”

Lina also faked a kind smile, “Anne, good to see you.”

If anyone else noticed the tension they didn’t comment, too eager to sit down and catch up. Catalina and Anne were thankfully able to hide their awkwardness within the conversation, talking to the whole table rather than just each other. A few hours into the catch up, the pub was a little busier but the group were still snug in their booth. Jane had been gushing about her first few scans, as well as confirming that she and Henry were completely divorced. They were all suggesting ridiculous names for the baby in order to lighten the mood and Jane was laughing as she shut each one down. It was nice, being all together and having a laugh again. However, Cathy had become somewhat distracted by a situation happening a few tables away.

There was a woman who had been sat with a friend, they arrived shortly after Anne and Jane. Her friend seemed to have abandoned her to go flirt with someone at the other end of the pub. Leaving this girl all by herself. At some point a man had made his way over to her and was clearly showing her unwanted attention. He kept putting his hands on her, only for her to push them off. Over and over yet he wasn’t getting the hint. Cathy knew she should intervene, that she should do something. But Cathy was never the confrontational type and so a battle of wills began raging in her had.

“Cathy?”

“Huh!?” She snapped back to reality,

A barmaid was stood by their booth, collecting the empty glasses. Her name tag said “Bessie” and she gestured at the empty glass at Cathy’s end of the table with a kind smile.

“Sorry!” Cathy yelped, pushing the glass over,

“Everything okay?” Lina asked, worried,

“There’s a girl over there,” Cathy nodded her head at the table, “Looks like that guy’s harassing her.”

Bessie turned and located the table in question, she put the empty glasses back on the table, “Leave it with me. I’ll be back for those.”

She walked quickly over to a door to what they could only assume was the staff room or the back of the building. Poking her head through she appeared to have a brief conversation with somebody before spinning on her heel and returning to start recollecting the empty glasses. The group watched, invested, as the back door opened again and a flash of pink hair zipped out towards the table. At the realisation of who it was, Cathy heard Jane make a strange squeak. Kat crossed the room and walked right over to uncomfortable woman.

“Oi, jackass!” She shouted, “Why are you hitting on my girlfriend!?”

Anne and Jane exchanged a look. Girlfriend!?

The man spluttered and said something the group couldn’t hear. Kat was undeterred though, instead sitting down and wrapping her arm around the mystery girl. The man appeared to be getting heated, unhappy at the interruption.

“--would she be with someone like you when she could get a real man!?”

Anne seethed at that. Who did this guy think he was? Despite herself, she stood up - ready to go over and beat this man to a pulp. Only someone beat her to it. A big burly man who had been setting up the dance floor, crossed the room to stand behind Kat. Arms crossed, looking angry. There was more arguing that went unheard under the noise in the room and the big man ushered the harasser out the door, watching to make sure he actually left. The moment he was out of sight Kat retracted her arm and apologised. The group couldn’t hear this at all since the voices were no longer raised which left them extremely confused.

“Sorry about grabbing you like that.” Kat apologised,

“It’s fine - I’m just glad you got rid of him.”

Kat smiled, “In the future just go to the bar and order the Howard Special, it’s like code for ‘help creepy guy’ - someone will come save you.”

“Good to know.” The girl eyed Kat up and down, then grabbed the pen out of the pink haired girl’s apron and wrote something on a napkin,

She handed it to Kat with a confident smile.

“I’m going to find my friend and drag her home.” The girl smirked, “Give me a call sometime, I’ll thank you properly.”

The girl winked and went to find her friend. Kat looked at the napkin and sure enough the girl had written her phone number on it. Had to admire the confidence, she supposed. Stuffing the napkin into her pocket, Kat stood to return to swapping the kegs. As she turned she caught Bessie’s smirk…which led to the realisation of who her co-worker was currently stood by. Anne and Jane looked stunned, Anne still stood to go over. This was not the shy, timid Kitty that the two of them had left behind when they fled the town like rats fleeing a sinking ship.

Brunette hair was now dipped in pink, tattoos on her arms and one visible through a rip in her jeans. Her aura was the main difference. She looked…confident. Brave. A vast difference from the teeny-tiny anxiety riddled Katherine that they had known. Sure they’d never really been close to her, but seeing Kat all grown up was a shock to the system. They actually found themselves panicking when she walked over. Anne trying to think of anything to say that would break the ice between them.

Only Kat never gave them a chance.

Instead she took the empty glasses from Bessie and span round to take the into the back. Not even dignifying any of them with more than a glance. Turning her back on them and leaving them behind. Anna didn’t know why, but something about it was…hot. She actually found herself watching Kat as she walked away, trying to prevent the word ‘Damn’ from leaving her lips. Completely unaware that Bessie had noticed the staring. As the barmaid left the group at the table, she plotted how to tell Kat her high school crush had been openly gawking at her. Anne awkwardly sat down and noticed where the German’s gaze was and so clicked her fingers in her eye line.

“Dude…” Anne snapped, “Stop staring at my sister.

“Sorry!” Anna blushed, “Just…haven’t seen Kitty in a while.”

“Did I not mention she worked here?” Cathy blinked,

All eyes snapped to her, incredulous.

“No…” Jane said tiredly, “No you didn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT TIME:
> 
> “Anne and I have a…complicated history.”
> 
> “Of course I miss it, feels shitty watching from the outside.”
> 
> “Cathy! I have some good news for you!”


End file.
